With 30 million page views and counting since 2013, these super soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are the most popular cookie recipe on my website. Melted butter, more brown sugar than white sugar, cornstarch, and an extra egg yolk guarantee the absolute chewiest chocolate chip cookie texture. And you donโt even need a mixer!
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. This recipe is such a fan (and personal) favorite that I included it in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sallyโs Baking 101.
One reader, Adrienne, commented: โThese are the best cookies Iโve ever had. Incredible. Donโt cut corners or youโll miss out. Do everything she says and youโre in for the best cookies of your life. โ โ โ โ โ โ
There are thousands of chocolate chip cookies recipes out there. Everyone has their favorite and this one is mine. Just a glance at the hundreds of reviews in the comments section tells me that this recipe is a favorite for many others too! In fact, if you asked me which recipe to keep in your apron pocket, my answer would be this one. (In addition to a classic cut-out sugar cookies and flaky pie crust, of course!) Just read the comments on a post in our Facebook group. These cookies are belovedโฆ and, a warning: they disappear FAST.
Why Are These My BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies?
- The chewiest of chewy and the softest of soft.
- Extra thick just like my favorite peanut butter cookies!
- Bakery-style BIG.
- Exploding with chocolate.
Iโve tested this cookie recipe over and over again to make sure theyโre absolutely perfect. I still have a big space in my heart (and stomach) for these soft chocolate chip cookies. Todayโs recipe is similar, but I increased the chewiness factor.
One reader, A.Phillips, commented: โLook no further. This is it. This is the perfect cookie recipe. Follow her instructions exactly and the cookies will be chewy and amazing. โฆ These are the most perfect cookies Iโve made and Iโve tried at least 20 different recipes. โ โ โ โ โ โ
You can make them with chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
Key Ingredients for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
The cookie dough is made from your standard cookie ingredients: flour, leavener, salt, sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. Itโs the ratios and temperature of those ingredients that make this recipe stand out from the rest.ย
- Melted butter: Melted butter produces the chewiest cookies. It can, however, make your baked cookies greasy, so I made sure there is enough flour to counteract that. And using melted butter is also the reason you donโt need a mixer to make these cookies, just like these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin crumb cake cookies, and M&M cookie bars.
- More brown sugar than white sugar: More brown sugar than white sugar: The moisture in brown sugar promises an extra soft and chewy baked cookie. White granulated sugar is still necessary, though. Itโs dry and helps the cookies spread. A little bit of spread is a good thing.
- Cornstarch: Why? Cornstarch gives the cookies that ultra soft consistency we all love. Plus, it helps keep the cookies beautifully thick. We use the same trick when making shortbread cookies.
- Egg yolk: Another way to promise a super chewy chocolate chip cookie is to use an extra egg yolk. The extra egg yolk adds richness, soft tenderness, and binds the dough. You will need 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature, just like in these brown butter marshmallow crispy cookies. See the recipe Notes for how to bring your eggs to room temperature quickly.
The dough will be soft and the chocolate chips may not stick because of the melted butter. Just keep stirring it; I promise it will come together. Because of the melted butter and extra egg yolk, the slick dough doesnโt even look like normal cookie dough! Trust the processโฆ
The most important step is next.
2 Major Success Tips
1. Chill the dough. Chilling the cookie dough is so important in this recipe! Unless you want the cookies to spread into a massive cookie puddle, chilling the dough is mandatory here. It allows the ingredients to settle together after the mixing stage but most importantly: cold dough results in thicker cookies.ย Cover the cookie dough and chill for at least 2โ3 hours or up to 3 days. I usually chill it overnight.
(No time to chill? Make these soft & chewy chocolate chip cookie bars, giant chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookie cake, or crispy chocolate chip cookie bark instead!)
- Further reading: How to Prevent Cookies from Spreading
2. Roll the cookie dough balls extra tall. After the dough has chilled, scoop out a ball of dough thatโs 3 Tablespoons for XL cookies or about 2 heaping Tablespoons (1.75 ounces or 50g) for medium-large cookies. I usually use this medium cookie scoop and make it a heaping scoop. But making the cookie dough balls tall and textured, rather than wide and smooth, is my tried-and-true trick that results in thick and textured-looking cookies. Weโre talking thick bakery-style cookies with wrinkly, textured tops. Your cookie dough should look less like balls and more like, well, lumpy columns, LOL.
Watch the video below to see how I shape them. I also demonstrate how I use a spoon to reshape them during baking if I see theyโre spreading too much.
Because of the melted butter in this dough, the dough is very soft and a little greasy before chilling, so itโs harder to shape the cookie dough balls. We recommend chilling first, then shaping. If after chilling the dough is very hard and difficult to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and then try again.
We typically do not recommend jumping right to the freezer without chilling the dough first. A quick freeze like that can cause the dough to chill unevenly and then spread unevenly during the baking process. For best results, we recommend following the recipe as written. If you donโt have time to wait for the dough to chill, try this recipe for 6 giant chocolate chip cookies instead, which doesnโt require dough chilling (see recipe Notes in that post for details on using the dough to make 24 regular-size cookies).
You can certainly use brown butter here, and the flavor is outstanding! But they can be a little crumbly using brown butter. Instead, for best results, I suggest trying theseย Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Tools I Recommend for This Recipe
Iโve tested many baking tools and these are the exact products I use, trust, and recommend to readers. Youโll need most of these tools when making sugar cookies and snickerdoodles, too!
- Baking Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets
- Medium Cookie Scoop
- Cooling Racks
- See More: Best Cookie Baking Tools and 8 Best Baking Pans
Can I Freeze This Cookie Dough?
Yes, absolutely. After chilling, sometimes I roll the cookie dough into balls and freeze them in a large zipped-top bag. Then I bake them straight from the freezer, keeping them in the oven for an extra minute. This way you can bake just a couple of cookies whenever the craving hits. (The chewy chocolate chip cookie craving is a hard one to ignore.)
If youโre curious about freezing cookie dough, hereโs my How to Freeze Cookie Dough page (with video tutorial).
Facebook member, Leigh, commented: โThese are the only CC cookies Iโve made for years (and this recipe is how I came to be such a fan of SBA!) This recipe worked great when I lived in Denver and had issues with baking at altitude, and itโs still our favorite now that weโre back at sea level. I usually make 4x-6x batches and freeze tons of cookie balls to bake later.โ
In Short, Here Are the Secrets to Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies.
- Using more brown sugar than white sugarย results in a moister, softer cookie.
- An extra egg yolkย increases chewiness.
- Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness. Itโs a trick we use for cake batter chocolate chip cookies, too.
- Using melted butter (and slightly more flour to counteract the liquid) increases chewiness.
- Chilling the dough results in a thicker cookie. Almost as thick as peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or their gluten-free counterparts, flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies ๐
Q: Have you baked a batch before?
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 XL cookies or 20 medium/large cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These super soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are the most popular cookie recipe on my website for good reason. Melted butter, more brown sugar than white sugar, cornstarch, and an extra egg yolk guarantee the absolute chewiest chocolate chip cookie texture. The cookie dough is slick and requires chilling prior to shaping the cookies. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sallyโs Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (170g/12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted & cooled for 5 minutes
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no lumps remain. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk until combined, then whisk in the vanilla extract. The mixture will be thin. Pour into dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or spatula. The dough will be very soft, thick, and shiny. Fold in the chocolate chips. The chocolate chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them.
- Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. I highly recommend chilling the cookie dough overnight to prevent overspreading.
- Preheat oven to 325ยฐF (163ยฐC). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If the dough has chilled for longer than 2 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
- Using a cookie scoop or Tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop the chilled cookie dough, about 3 scant Tablespoons (about 2 ounces, or 60g) of dough for XL cookies or 2 heaping Tablespoons (about 1.75 ounces, or 50g) of dough for medium-large cookies. Roll into a ball, then use your fingers to shape the cookie dough so that itโs taller rather than wideโalmost like a cylinder. This helps the cookies bake up thicker. Repeat with remaining dough. Arrange the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 13โ14 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. The centers will look very soft, but the cookies will continue to set as they cool. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the topsโthis is optional and only for looks!ย
- Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature, then continue with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula |ย Baking Sheets |ย Silicone Baking Matsย orย Parchment Paper |ย Medium Cookie Scoop |ย Cooling Rack
- Cornstarch: If you donโt have cornstarch, you can leave it out. The cookies are still very soft.
- Egg & Egg Yolk: Room-temperature egg + egg yolk are best. Typically, if a recipe calls for room-temperature or melted butter, itโs good practice to use room-temperature eggs as well. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, simply place the whole eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Can I Add Nuts or Different Add-ins? Yes, absolutely. As long as the total amount of add-ins is around 1 to 1 and 1/4 cups, you can add anything including chopped nuts, M&Ms, white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, chopped peanut butter cups, etc. I love them with 3/4 cup (135g) butterscotch morsels and 1/2 cup (100g) Reeseโs Pieces. You could even add 1/2 cupย (80g)ย sprinkles to make a sprinkle chocolate chip cookie.
- Can I Use Brown Butter Instead of Melted Butter? You can certainly use brown butter here, and the flavor is outstanding! But they can be a little crumbly using brown butter. Instead, for best results, I suggest trying theseย Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking success tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hey Sally and team ๐ do you think I could add a wooden stick right after coming out of the oven to make like a lollipop? I would like them not to break. Or would you recommend another recipe?
i followed the recipe exactly and baked from frozen but the cookies turned very greasy ๐ how do i fix this? really hoped for the chewiness
Hi Pari, Iโm sorry to hear that! Are you allowing the butter to cool slightly after itโs melted? This helps prevent an overly greasy texture. Thank you for giving these a try!
I was excited to make these, but they turned out like all my chocolate chip cookies turn out, very flat. I followed the recipe and chilled the dough overnight. I also shaped them as directed. i did let the butter cool off. not sure what the problem is.
Hi Carol, Iโm sorry to hear that! Weโre happy to help troubleshoot. There are a few different reasons why your cookies may be over-spreading. This post on how to prevent cookies from spreading should be a helpful place to start. And if you are following all those tips and your cookies are still turning out flat, then you may need to add a couple more Tablespoons of flour to the dough. Thank you for giving these a try!
The first few times I made these cookies, they turned out perfectly! Third time, they didnโt spread as well (I think I had a bit too much flour, didnโt measure that last 1/4 cup very well). Even without the spread and soft gooey-ness, they were delicious and cakey. So you really canโt go wrong with this recipe, as long as you chill the dough first!
Hello Sally. Is it possible to replace cornstarch with tapioca starch in your cookie recipes. Giving as a gift and a family member has a corn allergy
Weโre sure you could, Lanita!
Yes you can! I have the same corn allergy with my family, and the tapioca starch worked great!
Hi! I made your cookie recipe today, and the flavor was great, but the cookies turned out quite oily/greasy after baking. Iโm wondering if I might have done something wrong. Do you have any idea what could have caused this? Iโd really appreciate any advice because Iโd love to try the recipe again. Thank you!
Hi Leonardo, happy to help! Are you allowing the butter to cool just slightly after itโs melted? This helps prevent any overly greasy texture and any excess spread. We hope this helps for your next batch!
I followed the recipe to a T and they were extremely dry. I was excited to try them, but I am now removing from my pins
I love this recipe. The best cookies Iโve ever made used this recipe as a base, but reduced the vanilla to about 1/2tsp to a tsp. Then added about a teaspoon of strong coffee made from instant coffee. Then crushed about 75g of walnuts down and mixed them in.
Even if you donโt have time to chill the cookies, if your kitchen isnโt hot they stay lovely and round. Easy to make too, the hardest part is literally just separating one of the eggs.
I followed the recipe exactly as written for 50g cookies. I weigh as much as possible and it is so much easier that way. They look amazing!! This takes the place of my old standby recipe on the bag!